Nine Options To Make Your Home Environmentally Friendly
Going green is one of the most important things that a homeowner can do to help protect our environment. Using eco-friendly products and those that are energy efficient will help you live green. The following article will offer nine options that you can easily incorporate into your life at a minimal cost. Continue reading to see how you can go green in your home.
Switching your incandescent light bulbs to CFL light bulbs is one of the simplest ways to make your home more energy efficient. CFL bulbs, also known as compact fluorescent light bulbs, use less electricity than incandescent light bulbs. CFL light bulbs are slightly more expensive than your incandescent light bulb, but they normally last ten times as long as incandescent light bulbs. The average burning time of an incandescent bulb is 750 hours, while the average burning time of a CFL light bulb is 10,000 hours. By switching to CFL light bulbs you will keep garbage out of our landfill and will save money on your utility bills.
Another product that will help save our environment is motion detectors. When you install motion detectors, you can rest assured that your outdoor lights will turn on when you need them. This will allow you to keep your outdoor lights off until you need them.
Water leaks are very common in households; however, they can be found easily. To check for leaks, look under your kitchen sink and bathroom sinks for moisture. If you find any leaks, call in a plumber to fix the leak. This will save you money on your utility bills as well as conserving water.
Power strips are one of the most underutilized energy savers on the market today. Power strips not only protect your electronics from power surges, they can also help limit the amount of power you use. To help conserve energy, turn your power strips off when your electronics are not in use to ensure they are not consuming electricity.
Many people do not think of fans as a way to protect our environment; however, they can reduce cooling costs when used properly. There are many types of fans including ceiling fans, attic fans and window fans. Each of these types of fans can help cool your house. Try increasing the temperature of your thermostat a couple of degrees and using fans. You will be amazed at how cool you will feel.
Insulation is the number one way to help reduce heating and cooling costs in a home. Proper insulation is essential for maintaining the temperature in your home. If your home is not properly insulated, consider adding more insulation. The cost of insulation can quickly be recovered in your utility bills making it one of the most important cost saving updates that you can do in your home.
Solar panels gather energy from the sun's rays and convert them into usable power. There are many options when it come to using solar power. For example, you can purchase solar powered walkway lights quite inexpensively. Using these lights will help you illuminate your walkway without consuming any energy.
It is important to change your filters frequently on your air conditioning unit. These filters are very inexpensive, but will help increase the efficiency of your unit as well as increasing the lifetime of your air conditioning unit. Your filters should be replaced once a month for maximum efficiency. The easiest way to remember to replace your filters is to replace them when your electric bill is due. Using this method will ensure that you get a reminder once a month when the bill arrives in the mail.
Composting helps keep trash out of our landfills and helps to naturally fertilize your landscape. Begin a compost pile by placing grass clippings, food scraps and newspapers in your compost pile.
As this article has shown, there are nine easy ways that you can incorporate eco-friendly products into your lifestyle to help protect our environment. Use the nine tips above to help you live a green lifestyle.
